Suitcase



S. GROSSMAN. SUITCASE.

APPLICATION FILED APR.29, 1920. 1,397,374, Patented Nov. 15, 1921.

2 SHEETSSHEET I.

S. GROSSMAN.

SUITCASE.

APPLICATION FILED APR.29, 1920.

m m m 5 w m W Fifi their SUITCASE.

Be it known that l, SIMON iirnossueir, a citizen of the United Statesresiding at Pittsburgh, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Suitcases, of which the following is a spec1fication.

My invention relates to improvements in suitcases, or as they may be termed traveling cases, and the improvements are particularly directed to the construction of a binder for the surrounding edges of the cover and body of the case and a reinforcing and supporting frame structure for.

these parts. n

One object of my invention is to provide a metal binder for the surrounding edges of the cover and the body portion, which binder on these portions of jthe case is clamped upon the fibrous or other material from which the cover and body portions are made up to reinforce these edges, and in so shaping the binder that when the cover is closed the binder of the two portions in I terfits to give a snug closing joint and a double reinforcement in that portion which would otherwise be the weakest section of the case.

Another object is to provide metal frame and corner pieces which are associated with and riveted or otherwise secured to the metal binder and which reinforce and strengthen the case onall corners andonthose edges which receive the most severe shocks and strains in use.

Yet another object resides in applying the binder in a manner that it strengthens and reinforces the portions of the cover and body of the case on which thehinges, the

lock, and other fastenings for the case are secured, the arrangement being suchthat these fastenings are riveted or otherwise se sheet metal which can be worked with facility and can be applied to and secured upon the material of. the body and cover.

With these and other objects. lIl Vl6W which will he' appa rent from, the drawings, A

Specification of Letters Patent.

and body.

specification and claims, thisinvention con .sists of certain novel features of construction and combinations ofpartswhich will now be set forth. i

In the drawings:

-fF1gure 1 s a view in perspective showa t 111g a case constructed n accordance with my invention.

Fig. '2 is a sectional View taken transversely through the case. i i Fig. 3 isa detail sectional view. through the edges. and binder portions of the cover Fig. 4 is a viewsimilar to Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a fragmentary perspective view of a corner of thebo dy of the case'showing the association and connection of the binder,

corner, and frame portions. Fig. 6 is a detail sectional view through the cover and body portion adjacent n the corner.

Fig fi is a fragmentary perspective to better illustrate cover and body'binders interfit.

Fig. 8 is a detail sectional view of a modi fied form of binder for cover and body portion of the case. v y

The body of the cover of the case is inidicated at B andithe cover C is made to close over the opening thereto. These portions are made of fiber board or other suitable material, cut and bent portions '1 and 2 on the body and cover.

A binder 3, of thin sheet metal, is provided for the edge of the rim portion 2 of Patented New. 15, 1921,

Application filed April 29,1920. Serial no. 377,596.

the manner in which the i to provide rim i the cover, and this binder extends on the inner Side substantially over the entire width of the rim to strengthen and reinforce the same,lthe outer edge of the binder being extended suiiiciently to give a smooth and neat finish over the edge of the rim,

2. It is preferable that binder 3 be turned in on both its edges as no edge is then presented and atthe same time the binder is stiffened; and reinforced.

In applying the binder is preferably cut in lengths corresponding to the various sides of mm portion 2 and is. fitted lover and clamped upon the edges thereof. Corner pieces 4 are then placed over the corners vofy the cover to embracethe meeting eIlClS q of the sides of rim 2 and rivets 5 are inserted through these. corner pieces and through the inside thickness of. binderf ii and are clenched upon the same. Rivets 6,

are passedthroughthe corner pieces and the.

main portion of the cover and are clenched or headed to unite these parts. V

The binder 7 for the rim 1 of body B.

ismadewithits inner edge sufficiently wide to give a considerable overlap on the lnner face of' rim 1 and 'is bent and shaped to provide an offset at 8 to receive the binder 3 when the cov er is closed against the body, a lip 9 being provided at the inner side of the offset to fit within the cover binder;

The binder 7 is cut into lengths correspond- V ing'to the sides of rim portion 1 and is fittedoverand clamped upon the edge there of, angularly shaped sheet metal frame portlons 10 are then placed over the abutting edges'of'the sides of. the rim portion 1 with one end of eachframe member overlapping binder 8. Corner pieces 11 are fitted on the corners of the body portion B and rivets 12 are penetrated through the corner pieces,

the frame pieces, and the material of rim' 1, these rivets being" clenched to securely connect the various portions." Rivets 13 secure the frame pieces 10 in place, certain of these rivets :being passed. through the binder 8 and clenched or headed there; against.

this assembly of the binder 7, frame pieces 10, and corner pieces 11, thebody is" g ven a firm supporting frame around the edge of the opening and on the edges and corners, of the run 1, where the most severe strains andshocks will be received in use.

Also, thecorner pieces 4 with binder 3 give a similar supporting and reinforcing frame on the cover, andas the binder 3' interfits with binder 7, the cover, when closed, gives support to the body,fand the reverse, the corner pieces 4% and 11 and frame members 10 forming substantially continuous rein-- forcing for'the corners; As has been stated, it is, preferable that binder 7 be applied infseparate lengths on each of the sides of therim 1 of body B, and to provide for theoffset 8 portions of the lip 9 are bentdown asshown at 1% inFig.

5, these bent down portions acting tostill further strengthen and stiffen the binden V The hinges 15 are secured on the rim portions 1 and 2 of the body and cover by'means of rivets .16 and 17, and these rivets'pass through'and' are clenched or headed over against the long inner edge of the binders 7 'and*3. The catches 18 and the two per- 7 tions ofthelo ck 19 are secured in lik mam, ner byfthe rivets 20 and 21 ,whi'ch pas's through the inner edge of the two binders.

Z Further, it is preferable that the handle 22 of the case be sojplaced'that'at least one of the fastening rivets 23* at each end here ceived throughthe inner edge of binder 7.

the use of, the corner pieces,.which'connect and secure the four strips forming the binder'o'f the cover, the four braces or frame members which connect the four binder strips of the body and at the same time protect the entirelengthof the corners of the body and finally the corner. pieces of the body which also anchor the frame members or braces and thus the corner pieces of the cover and body and the frame members or braces make a strong metal construction where most required in a cheap suit case of .this character.

Bythis construction and arrangement the various reinforcing elements and portions of the body and the cover are rigidly and permanently connected together tofo'rm' a i substantially continuous reinforcing frame,

v and the hinges, lock,and other trim and tin w i specific embodiments and have mentionedonly certain possible modifications, 1t wlll'be appreciated that in practlce I do not, limit" myself to'such specific details as here'in set forth, butmay resort to any'practical modi- I claim: 7 "'1. A suitcase, conslstmg of a cover por tion and a body portion, a binder for the inner edge of the cover portlon consist ng of four strips fitting over the inner edges of the cover and having a short and long wall, binder forthe inner edge of the body portion consisting of four strips fitting over the inner edge of said body portion, and having a short and'long'wall, cornerpieces connectification's falling within the scope of -the in vention as defined-in the appended claims.

ing the meeting ends of the cover binder pieces passing through the corner pieces, material of'the cover and the long wall of strips, fastenings for the strips and corner the strips, corner pieces for connectingthe meeting ends of the body binderstrips, fasand forming braces, corner pieces secured to said braces andbody portion, hinges for the cover, fastenings anchored in the long Walls of the rear binder strips of the cover and ;tenings passing. through the corner pieces, mater'ial of the body portion and long walls, of said'strips, said corner pieces extending "over the entire corners of said body portion body portion and a lock andspringc'atches anchored fastenings" to the longer wall f the front strips of the cover body v portions. "'Animportantfeature'of my invention is the construction of 'thejbinder strips for the meeting edges 'of the 'cover' andbody ana The "suit caseherein shown andfdescribed; consisting of the'fbody' andcover; hinged thereto, the four binder zstrip's for the inner surrounding edge of the cover, the four corner pieces for the cover also secured to and connecting the ends of said binder strips, the four body binder strips, the four angle shaped frame members fitting upon the corner edges of the body, secured to the body and to the ends of said body binder strips, and the four corner pieces secured to the corners of the body and to the angle shaped frame members.

3. In a suit case, the combination With the cover and body of the case and the metal binders for the meeting edges of said cover and body, of metal corner pieces fitting the corners of the cover fastenings securing the corner pieces and metal binders corner braces fitting the corners of the body, fastenin s securing said corner braces and metal binders, corner pieces fitting the cormere 01'' said body, and fastenings passing through the corner pieces and corner braces, thus providing separate corner piecesfor the cover and body and intermediate brace for the corner of the body.

In testimony whereof I afi'ix my signature.

SIMON GROSSMAN. 

